أحبكِ
uhibbukito a woman, standard
To tell a woman "I love you" in Arabic, say أحبكِ (uhibbuki). In Egypt and the Levant it is بحبك (bahibbik), with the feminine ending -ik. It is also called أنا أحبكِ (ana uhibbuki).
Meaning: declaration of love (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| أحبكِ | uhibbuki | to a woman, standard |
| بحبك | bahibbik | Egyptian, Levantine |
| أنا أحبكِ | ana uhibbuki | to a woman, emphatic |
A common endearment is حبيبتي (habibti), "my dear", for a wife, daughter or close friend, often placed before the sentence.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Gulf Arabic the feminine ending can sound like -ich, so أحبج (uhibbich) is heard from men to women in Kuwait and Iraq.
How does it change in a sentence?
The ending ـكِ (-ki) shows that the listener is a woman. Without vowel marks أحبك is spelled the same for a man, so context or the spoken vowel tells the difference.
Did you know?
- The endearment حبيبتي (habibti) is the feminine of حبيبي (habibi) and is also used between women friends.
Examples in context
- أحبكِ يا أميuhibbuki ya ummiI love you, Mom.
- بحبك يا حبيبتيbahibbik ya habibtiI love you, my dear.
- أنا أحبكِ جداًana uhibbuki jiddanI love you very much.
Example conversation
Karim tells his wife Yasmin he loves her after dinner in Beirut.
- Karimبحبك يا ياسمينbahibbik ya YasminI love you, Yasmin.
- Yasminوأنا كمان بحبكwana kamen bahibbakI love you too.
- Karimيا حبيبتيya habibtiMy dear.
